Automatic sheet-separating device for printing, folding, and like machines.



H. HOLLINGS. AUTOMATIC SHEET SEPARATING DEVICE FOR PRINTING, FOLDING,AND LIKE MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED AUG.26, 1914.

.HNQN 1. m m g 1 1 M w 6m 00 1 R g m p A E t H Du t a P I! H AW w l l r-L F U h-n l mm m ma MW 3 w I mm X R n x a R m 1H. 1 7 L Q WITNESSES M-Gi l/er? HARRY HOLLINGS, OF EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND.

AUTOMATIC SHEET-SEPARATING DEVICE FOR ERINTING, FOLDING, AND LIKEMACHINES.

Application filed August 26, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY HoLLrNGs, of 23VVarrender Park Terrace, Edinburgh, in the county of Midlothian,Scotland, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Sheet-SeparatingDevices for Printing, Folding, and like Machines, of which the followingis a specification.

My said invention relates to sheet separating devices for printing,folding and like machines, and has for its object to provide meanswhereby the objectionable separation and removal, froma pile, of morethan one sheet at a time is greatly reduced or eliminated.

In carrying out my invention the separating devices consist of a diskand stop or the the direction in which they are advanced,

whereby that part of the sheet between the disk and stop is rucked ordoubled up from the remaining sheets of the pile. A separating finger,suitably carried, is new advanced and is interposed between the ruckedor doubled up portion of the sheet and the sheet immediately below. Thesheet is now ready to be removed from the pile, and for this purpose itis preferred to employ the automatic suction sheet feeder, referred toin my earlier Patent 942036, which grips and lifts the sheet from theside, or end, at which it is rucked or doubled up, the disk and stophereinbefore referred to being si 'Inultaneously withdrawn from thesheet.

The separating devices are duplicated, and adapted tooperate near eachside or end of the sheet.

Inorder that my said invention and the manner of performing the same maybe properly understood I hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawingsto be herein- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Serial No. 858,624.

side and back elevation of one of the separating fingers, drawn to alarger scale.

In these drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the sameor like parts wherever they are repeated.

As shown in the drawings the separating devices consist of a disk 1, andstop 2, adustably fixed on a rocking shaft 3, said shaft being connectedthrough a link 4;, to, and operated by levers 5, said levers havingconnection with the opposite ends of the roll 7 and loose connectionwith the links 4 as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings while at the sametime carrying the automatic suction roll 7, referred to in my earlierPatent 942,036. The shaft 3, is loosely supported in, and connected by,brackets 8, 9, to a fixed shaft 10, that is, the shaft 3 is supported toslide or translate in bearings at the lower ends of the brackets 8 and 9suspended or hung from the fixed shaft 10, and torsion or tensionsprings 11, 12, are fitted to the shaft 10, in connection with thebrackets 8, 9, so as to facilitate the rocking movement of the shaft 3.On the brackets 8, 9, there are also fixed cross bars 13, 14:, thesecross bars limiting the outward travel of the shaft 3, by coming incontact with stops 15, 16, fixed on the shaft 10, while at the same timethe levers 5, can complete their travel, independently of the links,each connecting link 4:, being provided with an elongated slot 17, forthis purpose. To the inner end of the rocking shaft 3, there is fixed abracket 18, connected by a spring 19, to the shaft 10, and on one end ofthe bracket there is mounted a roller 20, free to rotate, said rollerbeing adapted to work against a plate 21, having an inclined surface,whereby as the shaft 3, moves outward it is slightly turned so as toraise the disk 1, and stop 2, off the sheet, and as the shaft 3,returns, the spring 19, reverses the turning movement of the shaft sothat the disk 1, and stop 2, are depressed into contact with the sheetwhich is to be rucked.

The rocking shaft 3, has imparted to it a reciprocating movement througha bellcrank lever 22, rod 23, and a second bellcrank lever 24, thelatter being operated by a cam 25, on a shaft 26. The inward move mentof the shaft 3, compresses a spring 27, and the reaction of this springreturns the shaft 3, when released from the bellcrank lever 22.

Two separating fingers 28,, 29, carried on rods 30, 31, bracketed to ashaft 32, rocked through a lever 33 operated by a'cam 34, on the shaft26, are interposed between the rucked parts of the sheet and the pile,so as to prevent the remaining sheets being disturbed or lifted by thesuction roll 7 In operation the action of my improved sheet-separatingdevices is as follows:-The disk 1, and stop 2, are adapted to press'onthe top sheet of a pile, the disk 1, being provided with a rubber orother frictional bearing surface, while the stop 2, has a smoothsurface- Then the shaft 3, carrying the disk 1, and stop 2, is movedinward across the sheet, by the bellcrank lever 22, a ruck 35, is formedon the sheet, by the disk 1, drawing it inward, the stop 2, simplysliding over the sheet and serving to limit the distribution of theruck, whereby the latter will be elevated the proper degree and theprojection of the finger therebeneath insured. After the ruck 35, hasbeen formed, as just described, the bellcrank lever 22, is released andthe separating fingers 28, 29, advance and rest on the pile immediatelybelow the rucked portions of the sheet. The suction roll 7, is nowadvanced to grip the sheet, and at the same time the diskl, and stop 2,through the connecting link 4, and inclined plate 21, are respectivelydrawn off and raised clear of the sheet, the latter being gripped by apair of feed rolls, not shown. Immediately after the rucked sheet islifted by the suction roll 7, the disk 1, and stop 2, return and presson the next sheet, after which the separating fingers 28, 29, arewithdrawn, and this sheet is now rucked. I

By the use of my invention all risk of more than one sheet beingremoved, at a time, is greatly reduced or eliminated, and any liabilityof the remaining sheets being disturbed is avoided, as each sheet isremoved at the side or end at which it is rucked and separated, and theremaining sheets are held in position by the separating fingers, 28, 29,and disk 1, and stop 2. Further,by removing the sheets at the side orend at which they are rucked and separated, allows of different sizedsheets being manipulated without the objectionable necessity ofadjusting the devices to suit the size of the sheets.

WVhat I claim is I 1. In an automatic sheet separating device, aswinging shaft, a buckling device mounted and on said shaft and adaptedto engage a sheet of a pile, a holding member mounted on said shaft inadjustable spaced relation with said buckling member and adapted tocoeperate therewith, means for imparting a longitudinal movement to saidshaft and causing said members to buckle said sheet. means for furtherseparating said buckled sheet from the pile, and means for swinging saidshaft whereby said members disengage said buckled sheet.

2. In automatic sheet separating devices for printing, folding and likemachines, a movable shaft, a buckling device mounted on said shaft andadapted to engage asheet of a pile, a holding member mounted on saidshaft in adjustable spaced relation with respect to said buckling memberand adapted to coeperate therewith, means for imparting movement to saidshaft for causing said member to buckle said sheet, means for removingthe sheet from the pile after thus buckled and means for moving saidshaft whereby to disengage the members from the buckled sheet.

3. In automatic sheet separating devices for printing, folding and likemachines, means for rucking a sheet at independent points spaced apart.means for shifting said rucking means at right angles to the directionof rucking movement to contact with the top sheet of a pile, and meansfor sliding said rucking means in a rectilinear path at right, anglesthereto and in a constant plane parallel to the sheet for rucking thesame to permit its removal.

4. A mechanism for separating and singly removing sheets from a pileincluding a plurality of simultaneously operable means movable in twodirections at right angles to raise the top sheets of a pile to permitdisplacement thereof. swinging cam operated means for actuating saidlastmentioned means, the latter means being operable in oppositedirections in moving toward and away from the sheets.

5. A mechanism for separating and singly removing sheets from a pileincluding means operable in two directions at right angles toward eachother to ruck the top sheets of a pile whereby to permit thedisplacement thereof, stops mounted upon a common support with saidrucking means and cooperatively movable therewith to frictionally engagethe sheets at spaced distan'ces from the rucking means to positivelyeffect the rucking of the sheets, and suc- 'tion means for removing thesheets so rucked.

6. A mechanism for separating and singly removing sheets from a pileincluding means operable in two directions at right angles to ruck thetop sheets of a pile, said means including an oscillatory shaft, meansfor moving the same, stops adjustably mounted on the shaft to engage thesheets at spaced distances from the rucking means, said stops beingadjustable toward and away from the rucking means to regulate thelength' and elevations of the rucks, and means for removing the sheetsthus rucked and separated. v

7. A .teachine for? automatically separating singly, the exposed sheetsof a pile comprising a plurality of rucking means operable on ahorizontal pivot to move into and out of contact with such sheets,spring operated shifting means for said rucking means whereby to permitthe return of the latter out of contact with respect to the sheets,means for shifting the rucking means in opposite directions and in aconstant plane parallel to the sheets to be rucked whereby to ruck thelatter at two points, angular fingers simultaneously operable toseparate the sheets thus rucked at the rucked portions thereof from thesheets therebeneath, suction means cooperatively associated with theshifting means for the rucking means to remove the sheets thus separatedand rucked from the pile, said fingers preventing the removal ofadditional sheets with said rucked and separated ones.

8. A machine for automatically separating singly, the exposed sheets ofa pile comprising a rocking shaft, a suction roll havmg compensatinglink connections with said rocking shaft, a fixed shaft, bracketssupporting said rocking shaft, means for limiting the rocking movementof the shaft, spring means holding said rocking shaft under tension inan inoperative position, stops mounted on said rocking shaft, ruckingdisks also adjustably mounted on said shaft, spring operated cammingsurfaces for shifting said rucking means into operative position,rollers at the inner ends of the shaft or shafts for engagement therebyand a lever engageable with the ends of the shaft for shifting thelatter longitudinally in any position of the path of its movement. Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY HOLLINGS. Witnesses:

GEORGE PATTERSON, GEDDEs WHITELAW.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

